Beast

Beasts, also called wild animals, were any animals native to the world of Narnia who lived completely among nature and lacked any human-like social structure. While the sentient animals known as talking beasts lived in social structures often comparable to humans, the majority of animals were non-sentient beings called "dumb beasts". Generally, these beasts were always ruled over by humans throughout Narnian history.

B

Badgers were among the creatures chosen to be talking beasts on the day of Narnia's creation.[3]

Talking badgers such as Trufflehunter were often intelligent, kind, and steadfast.[4]

Bear: An enormous carnivourous mammal; unlike Earth bears, Narnian talking Bears were gentle creatures. A bear was traditionally one of the Marshals of the Lists. Sleeping and eating honey are among the habits and behaviours of the bears. The eldest of the Bulgy Bears was known to suck his paw at inopportune moments (Prince Caspian).

Cat: A small, predatory, carnivourous mammal that was domesticated on Earth, though could be found in the wild on Narnia; cats were aloof, intelligent, graceful creatures. One talking cat, Ginger, was notably changed back into a dumb animal by Aslan because of his treachery at the Battle of Stable Hill(The Last Battle).

Centaur: A sentient creature found only in Narnia, with the head, torso, and arms of a human but the body of a horse. Many of them are stated to have had chestnut colored coats and their hair and beards are stated to be a color similar to chestnut, but with a little more gold, or red, or brown, but some centaurs and have blonde hair or black hair. They were stern and wise. They could live for as long as five hundred years, and as a result they spent much time interpreting the movements of the stars over great cycles [The Last Battle]. They needed to eat two breakfasts to feed their two stomachs. For their human stomach, they eat "porridge and pavenders and kidneys and bacon and omelette and cold ham and toast and marmalade and coffee and beer". For their horse stomach, they graze on grass and eat "hot mash, some oats, and a bag of sugar" (The Silver Chair). One Centaur, Roonwit, drinks a bowl of wine enough for six strong men in one draught (The Last Battle). In battle the Centaurs used swords and hooves, and are noted as excellent strategists. It is said that no one ever laughs at a Centaur, and that no one who values his life would ever try to put a saddle on one. In the Disney adaptations "(The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe)" and "(Prince Caspian)" Orieus a Centaur is exclusive to the Disney film.

Cheetah: Felines that can run over 70 miles an hour and attack their enemies very quickly, making them ideal soldiers. They were present at the birth of Narnia, and were part of Aslan's Army during the First Battle of Beruna.

D

Dog: A domesticated carnivorous canine mammal; the talking dogs of Narnia were intelligent, although they retaind stereotyipcal dog-like behaviour and appearance. One group of dogs "put their front paws on the shoulders of the humans and licked their faces". Dogs consider it either an insult or a demeaning punishment to call another dog a "boy" or a "girl". This is considered to be as demeaning as a human calling another human a "dog" (The Last Battle).

Donkey: A domesticated medium-sized horse-like mammal, donkeys were talking but foolish beasts. Silenus rode upon a Donkey during the Bacchanalia (Prince Caspian). One notable talking donkey is Puzzle who was easily manipulated by an ape named Shift (The Last Battle).

Dragon: A scaly, reptilian creature found only on Narnia that could fly with bat-like wings and breathe fire and smoke; dragons hoarded gold, and although they were classified as talking beasts by intelligence, they did not have the physiological ability to actually talk in any human language. The statue of what appeared to be a dragon was among the statues in the Witch's courtyard, and an actual one was shown during the battle, likely fighting for the Witch as it had a squirrel in its grasp. They had once lived on Dragon Island where Eustace Scrubb, during a visit there, after watching a dragon die (who may have been a transformed Lord Octesian), spent a night in a dragon cave and tried on a piece of dragon gold. When he awoke, he had discovered that he had turned into a dragon himself. This event changed Eustace's life, and Aslan soon turned him back into a human once his lesson was learned. The island was thus named after the dragon curse it maintained (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). Dragons, along with salamanders, also apparently inhabited Bism where they were put into an enchanted sleep when Eustace, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum were on their way to see the Lady of the Green Kirtle. At the end of Narnia, these dragons were finally awakened by Aslan to aid in the fiery destruction of the Narnian world by tearing up all of the trees before immediately growing old and dying, their flesh rotting away leaving behind only the skeletons. The behaviours and lifestyles of Narnian dragons were never fully studied.

Dryad: Dryads were tree spirits that were capable of leaving their trees and assuming a physical body resembling human form. Each individual dryad is spiritually bound to one tree and if that tree dies or is cut down, its dryad will die as well. Female dryads usually inhabit such tree as beeches, silver birches, larches and willows, while male dryads, who are usually referred to as "Wood Gods", are spiritually tied to trees like oaks, elms, hollies, and rowans. They were fond of dancing and often danced with fauns. They were capable of marrying human men and woman, and sire human children. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, dryads appeared to have sided Aslan, while some of them joined The White Witch. They later appeared in Prince Caspian and The Last Battle.

Ducks were called out of the ground where they enjoyed to swim around the lakes in Narnia (The Magician's Nephew).

Dwarf: Dwarfs are classified as Sons of Earth and exist in at least two (and possibly more) varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs. Black Dwarfs wear black beards that are "as thick and hard as horsehair", while Red Dwarfs have hair "rather like a Fox's" (Prince Caspian). All documented dwarfs are male (except Clipsie, the daughter of the Chief Dufflepud, who was a dwarf before she became a Dufflepud) and live together in communities, although they occasionally mingle with and reproduce with human women. Consequently, it was possible for there to be females of dwarfish descent despite the lack of female dwarfs. Dwarfs were prolific smiths, miners, and carpenters. In battle, they are renowned as deadly archers and can walk all day and all night (The Last Battle). One Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, says that the White Witch was not an enemy to the Dwarfs (Prince Caspian), and indeed, there are "evil dwarfs" present among her horde at the sacrifice of Aslan (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Later in the chronology, nearly all of the Dwarfs adopt the mantra "the Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs" and kill anybody in their way, be they good or evil (The Last Battle). In the special edition of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Disney movie), in the scene where Edmund is walking through Jadis' courtyard full of statues, there is a statue of female dwarf in the arms of her dwarf husband, also, according to recent interviews for Prince Caspian (Disney movie), female dwarfs will be portrayed in the movie.

E

Eagle: Eagles were quick, keen hunters. Lewis writes that it is "a treat to watch [their] grace and ease", and that they have strange voices (The Last Battle). One notable Eagle was Farsight.

Earthman: Earthmen were gnomic natives of the land called Bism, which lies far beneath the surface of the Narnian earth. In The Silver Chair, the Lady of the Green Kirtle places the Earthmen under an enchantment and forces them to dig a tunnel to the surface of Narnia in preparation for an invasion. They vary greatly in their appearance; Lewis states that they are "of all sizes, from little gnomes barely a foot high to stately figures taller than men. All carried three-pronged spears in their hands, and all were dreadfully pale, and all stood as still as statues. Apart from that, they were very different; some had tails and others not, some wore great beards and others had very round, smooth faces, big as pumpkins. There were long, pointed noses, and long, soft noses like small trunks, and great blobby noses. Several had single horns in the middle of their foreheads". They also had different numbers of toes.

Eel: Eels were often hunted by the Marsh-wiggles in the Marshlands (The Silver Chair).

Elephant: Elephants were among the largest animals in Narnia. The Talking Elephants shrink slightly, however, when Aslan creates the Talking Beasts.[5] The first He-Elephant was present at the First Council of Narnia,[6] and his wife vainly takes great pride in the length of her nose (The Magician's Nephew).

Ettin: Two-headed giants from the northern land of Ettinsmoor. They are followers to the White Witch.

F

Falcon: Lucy mentions how the Pevensies used falcons during their hunting parties back when they were kings and queens. (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).

Faun: Fauns were woodland creatures with the legs of a goat and the upper body of a human. They characteristically had curly hair, small horns, and long tails. They enjoyed dancing and playing music, and their faces were simultaneously "mournful and merry". Female fauns are not mentioned, though Mr. Tumnus said that he had a father, which implies that he must have a mother. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

Giant: Giants were tall, usually dim-witted humanoids in the world of Narnia. Many Giants lived in the lands that lay North of Narnia, including the stupid Giants of Ettinsmoor, who fight each other with stone hammers, and the Giants of Harfang that are smart, intelligent, and "kind people" to others that they meet. (The Silver Chair). There were also honourable giants such as the Buffins, who were "one of the most respected of all the giant families in Narnia. Not very clever, perhaps (I never knew a giant that was), but an old family. With traditions, you know." . Notable Giants include Rumblebuffin(The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), Wimbleweather(Prince Caspian), and Stonefoot(The Last Battle). A two-headed Giant named Pire was turned into a mountain (The Horse and His Boy). Female giants are often seen in The Silver Chair. The word for female giants is giantess.

Giraffe: Tall beasts that were first mentioned when they were called out of the ground (seen in an illustration; The Magician's Nephew).

H

Half-Breed: Half-Breeds are beings that have been born from parents who are not of the same species. The sons and daughters of King Frank and Queen Helen married Dryads and Naiads and had children with them, from these came the Archenlanders and later the Calormenes.

Hag: Hags are followers of The White Witch who help bind Aslan to the Stone Table in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. They appear extremely loyal to the Witch.

Hare: One of the Old Narnians Caspian is first introduced to is a Hare called Camillo (Prince Caspian). Jewel the Unicorn tells Jill about the legendary Hare Moonwood of old (The Last Battle).

Hedgehog: Hedgehogs were a species that lived in Narnia. They were normal country folk.

Horror: Horrors are followers of the White Witch. No further description is ever given of them.

Horse: Talking Horses only allow people to ride them during desperate times, such as war. The Calormenes sometimes capture Narnian foals who consequently grow up in Calormen and live there in slavery. Several Horses, including Bree and Hwin, manage to escape (The Horse and His Boy). When the Calormenes invade Narnia, they force grown Talking Horses to do work for them. The Dwarfs shoot the last Horses in Narnia (The Last Battle).

I

Insect: The only varieties of insects mentioned in the series are bees, grasshoppers, mosquitoes and butterflies. (This is probably because the author, C. S. Lewis, was not fond of insects. He also wrote that the character Lucy Pevensie was afraid of them.)

J

Jackdaw: A black and bluish crow-like bird. A Jackdaw made the first joke in Narnia. Aslan the Lion consequently told the bird: "You have not made the first joke; you have only been the first joke." Jackdaws were present at the coronation of Frank I.[6]

Lion: Talking Lions were among the most respected creatures in Narnia. Aslan, creator and ruler of Narnia, was a Lion. At one point, a Talking Lion becomes boastful when Aslan refers to the two of them as "Us Lions", only to have Aslan quickly chasten him (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Hunters seek out non-talking Lions, presumably for sport (The Last Battle).

M

Maenad: are followers of Bacchus, and are described as "wild, madcap young girls". They are physically identical to human girls, and are not proper nymphs, such as Dryads and Naiads (Prince Caspian). In the BBC serial, they were identified as Jungle Tribe People or Forest Tribe people.

Mallard: Also known as "wild duck"; mentioned in the giant's cookbook (The Silver Chair).

Man-Headed Bull: There is a follower of Aslan who is described as a "bull with a man's head", who openly defies the White Witch's claim that Edmund's blood is her property (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).

Marsh-wiggle: Marshwiggles were strange creatures who lived in marshes. One of the Marshwiggles, who was called Puddleglum, had a "long thin face with rather sunken cheeks, a tightly shut mouth, a sharp nose, and no beard. He was wearing a high, pointed hat like a steeple, with an enormously wide flat brim. The hair, if it could be called hair, which hung over his large ears was greeny-grey, and each lock was flat rather than round, so that they were like tiny reeds". He also had "very long legs and arms, so that although his body was not much bigger than a dwarf's, he would be taller than most men when he stood up. The fingers of his hands were webbed like a frog's, and so were his bare feet which dangled in the muddy water. He was dressed in earth-coloured clothes that hung loose about him". Marshwiggles were solitary creatures and lived in separate wigwams. They smoked tobacco, drank a presumably alcoholic substance, and ate eels (The Silver Chair).

Merpeople: Merpeople were half human and half fish. They sung at the coronation of the four Pevensie children (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Merpeople can thus breathe both air and water, unlike the more humanoid but completely aquatic Sea People.

Minotaur: Minotaurs had the head of a bull and the body of a man. They were followers of the White Witch (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). In the movies, they are more bull-like with bull legs, tails and body fur. In the film, the general of the White Witch's army is a minotaur called Otmin. In the 2008 adaption of "Prince Caspian", Minotaurs join the Old Narnians in fighting the Telmarines. In the old animated version, they fought for Aslan despite the White Witch mentioning that she had Minotaur minions.

Mole: Moles were among the creatures chosen to be talking beasts on the day of Narnia's creation.[5] During the reign of the Pevensie children, the chief mole Lilygloves planted an orchard of apples of which the Pevensies partake hundreds of years later. In Prince Caspian, the Moles are keen to propose digging entrenchments for no particular reason. Later in the same book, Clodsley Shovel and his Moles dig up turf for the tree people to eat.

Monopod: Monopods resemble Dwarfs, although "each body had a single thick leg right under it (not to one side like the leg of a one-legged man) and at the end of it, a single enormous foot - a broad-toed foot with the toes curling up a little" (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). They used their foot as a boat and rowed themselves around with paddles. They were all extremely stupid and follow the word of their Chief to the letter.

Mouse: Talking Mice did not appear in Narnia until after a group of friendly dumb Mice chewed away the bonds on Aslan as he lay on the Stone Table. The Talking Mice, including Reepicheep and Peepiceek, were larger than normal Mice. They were loyal, brave and noble creatures, and were excellent with swords (Prince Caspian).

Otter: Otters were aquatic mammals that hunt for trout in lakes or rivers. Two were mentioned when they came out of the ground after Narnia' creation (The Magician's Nephew).

Owl: A He-Owl was present at the first Council of Narnia.[6] The birds gather in a Parliament of Owls when important matters arise (The Silver Chair). This is a piece of wit on the part of Lewis, as any group of Owls in nature is called a "parliament".

P

Panther: Panthers were among the creatures chosen to be talking beasts on the day of Narnia's creation.[6] Panthers are also mentioned as troops in the Narnian army during the siege at Anvard in The Horse and His Boy. A panther also is mentioned in aiding the dwarfs and moles in getting Eustace, Jill, Puddleglum, Rilian, and the horses out from underground in The Silver Chair. Panthers are shown as part of the Old Narnians where they fight with Prince Caspian in the Disney movie adaption of the book.

Raven: Of the seven creatures who sit at the First Council of Narnia, two of them were Ravens.[6] Another Raven called Sallowpad later provided advice on the best route from Calormen to Archenland (The Horse and His Boy).

Robin: A robin was portrayed as having intelligence and understanding speech when it leads the Pevensie children to Mr Beaver, though it shows no sign of having the ability to speak itself, According to Peter, robins are always good in stories, thus gaining the trust of the Pevensie children. As far as we know there has not been a bad robin in all of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).

S

Salamander: In The Silver Chair, there were salamanders that lived far beneath the Narnian earth. They were "too white-hot to look at. But they are most like small dragons. They speak to us out of the fire. They are wonderfully clever with their tongues: very witty and eloquent".

Satyr: Satyrs were woodland folk who were part human and part goat. They were similar to fauns, except that they were wilder and had reddish fur, longer horns, and more goat-like characteristics (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).They were known to for both Aslan and the Jadis.

Sea Serpent: A Sea Serpent attacked the ship in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The head of the Serpent was said to be "all greens and vermilions with purple blotches - except where shell fish clung to it - and shaped rather like a horse's, though without ears. It had enormous eyes, eyes made for staring through the dark depths of the ocean, and a gaping mouth filled with double rows of sharp fish-like teeth. It came up on what they first took to be a huge neck, but as more and more of it emerged everyone knew that this was not its neck but its body ... "

Squirrel: In Prince Caspian, Pattertwig the Squirrel acts as a messenger as he can travel "nearly everywhere without setting foot to ground". It is bad manners among Squirrels to watch where another Squirrel keeps his store of nuts.

U

Unicorn: Unicorns were noble white horse-like creatures with a single indigo horn on their foreheads. They used their horns in battle, and may be ridden when necessary. They were portrayed as white horses with a horn in in Pauline Baynes's original illustrations for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In her illustrations for The Last Battle, however, they were portrayed in a more traditional manner with goat-like beards, cloven hooves, and lionesque tails. Jewel the Unicorn was present during the last moments of Narnia. In the film The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Disney movie), Peter rides a white Unicorn into battle.

V

W

Warthog: There was a Warthog present at the creation of Narnia. It was one of a group of kind-hearted creatures who kept Andrew Ketterley the human as a pet, although at first it thought that he was a tree.[6]

Water Rat: A Water Rat was employed by the Calormenes to operate a small punt with a pole when they begin felling the Narnian trees (The Last Battle).

Weasel: Weasels were noble and loyal ones that joined the Old Narnians during the Narnian Revolution (Prince Caspian). Two were mentioned when they gathered in the coronation when Frank I and Helen became king and queen (The Magician's Nephew).

Werewolf: In the book series, werewolves don't take form under the full moon. A werewolf was always depicted as a "wolf's head and man's body". One of them states: "I'm hunger. I'm thirst. Where I bite, I hold till I die, and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy's body and bury it with me. I can fast a hundred years and not die. I can lie a hundred nights on the ice and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood and not burst. Show me your enemies." (Prince Caspian).

Eagle/Stag Humanoid: In one of the illustrations of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a gryphon-like being with an eagle's head and wings, a stag's antlers and ears, and clawed hands, which was likely fighting in the White Witch's army; is shown picking up a dog.

Minotaur/Centaur Creatures: In two illustrations of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in Aslan's camp. The bull with the man's face appears as more of a minotaur-like creature with possibly a centaur-like frame, and in the Witch's courtyard, when Aslan frees the statues back into Narnians, there is a centaur creature with bull's horns.

Vulture/Dragon/Man Monster: In one of the illustrations of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a faun fights an odd sort of monster from the White Witch's army. It has the body and stature of a man, but has the head of a vulture and the hind legs and tail of a dragon, which may be an inspiration on the physical appearance of the character Tash. A similar creature with bat wings was shown among the creatures when they left following Aslan's sacrifice.

Adaptations

Narnian creatures that are not mentioned in Lewis' books but that appear in film or game adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia include the following:

In concept art for the Disney version of LWW, some unused creatures include Naiad, Sprite, Toadstool People, Gorgon, Succubus, Manticore, Rhinotaur, and an Evil Dryad.

General

The Talking Beasts of Narnia are considered to be the main race. Although there are other races that came through the various chinks between our world and theirs, (including Telmarines, Calormenes, and those from Charn) this is the main Narnian race.

Although the Talking Beasts are to be the possessors of Narnia, they are however not to rule over it. A Son of Adam is to be ruler over the land.

Talking Beasts are not intertwined with the Dumb Beasts but instead realise that they are far different than their cousins.

Mentioned Races

Notable Instances

There are some instances in which the originality of the beasts was changed, as well as some confusing statements.

The Talking Mice were not made to be Talking Beasts at first. However in the Narnian year, 1000 after Aslan had been sacrificed on the Stone Table the mice showed an act of kindness to Aslan by gnawing the ropes that held him to the Stone Table, and were gifted with speech. This is mentioned while Aslan gifts Reepicheep with the gift of speech, after the Second Battle of Beruna, but occurs just before the First Battle of Beruna.

One confusing statement might be that the Hermit of the Marsh called the Talking Horses, Bree and Hwin his cousins. He had yet to explain.

Mythological Variances

There are many Mythological animals which were either a modified animal, a new animal, or a combination of Animals. These ones include: